Over the course of his distinguished career, Dr. Thomas D. Clark became, in the words of John Ed Pearce, “a symbol of what is meant by the term Kentuckian.” The Commonwealth’s historian laureate (a title created especially for him by the state legislature) was also its unofficial sage and oracle, a centenarian who spent most of that long lifetime digging deeper into Kentucky’s history than anyone else and using the wisdom gained there to advocate for a better future. Published in honor of its subject’s 100th birthday in July 2003, Thomas D. Clark of Kentucky is in the tradition of the Festschrift—a German term meaning “a celebration of writing”—in which colleagues and friends pay tribute to a scholar. Editor John E. Kleber recruited fellow historians, journalists, former students, and others to reflect on Clark as researcher and writer and as teacher and friend.

Born July 14, 1903, Dr. Clark died on June 28, 2005.